Question about Quantum Eraser
August 31, 2016 at 1:05 pm
(This post was last modified: August 31, 2016 at 1:06 pm by bennyboy.)
There are several threads about this. This is just one of them:
Here's my question, and I'm assuming it will be only for Alex: let's say you have some detectors positioned at or before your slits. If you observe them, you should get a photon-as-particle effect, i.e. 2 bands. If you do not observe them, you should get an interference pattern.
My question is this: what if your detectors are set to randomly observe or not to observe particles passing them, and to give a character representing what they've "decided" to do. Each character will represent one of: (1) decided to detect, and detected a particle (i.e. particle passed by its slit); (2) decided to detect, and didn't detect a particle (i.e. particle passed other slit); (3) decided NOT to detect. You will then have to look up the symbols in a book printed by the system without you being able to see it.
How will your lack of knowledge of the meanings of the symbols affect the pattern you observe after photons are fired? If a detector detected something, will you see a 2-band result? Or could it be that since you don't know what the symbols mean, no information is really collected, and not only will you see an interference pattern, but also the detector will always give a "decided NOT to detect" result? What if there's no booklet, and the detectors just pump out random characters that mean something only to them in response to their detection state? Does this count as information or not?
Here's my question, and I'm assuming it will be only for Alex: let's say you have some detectors positioned at or before your slits. If you observe them, you should get a photon-as-particle effect, i.e. 2 bands. If you do not observe them, you should get an interference pattern.
My question is this: what if your detectors are set to randomly observe or not to observe particles passing them, and to give a character representing what they've "decided" to do. Each character will represent one of: (1) decided to detect, and detected a particle (i.e. particle passed by its slit); (2) decided to detect, and didn't detect a particle (i.e. particle passed other slit); (3) decided NOT to detect. You will then have to look up the symbols in a book printed by the system without you being able to see it.
How will your lack of knowledge of the meanings of the symbols affect the pattern you observe after photons are fired? If a detector detected something, will you see a 2-band result? Or could it be that since you don't know what the symbols mean, no information is really collected, and not only will you see an interference pattern, but also the detector will always give a "decided NOT to detect" result? What if there's no booklet, and the detectors just pump out random characters that mean something only to them in response to their detection state? Does this count as information or not?
